(1) A dealer who intends to claim deduction under rule 55 shall, within thirty days from the date of issue of certificate of registration granted to him under section 26 or section 27, make an application in Form 17 for a certificate of eligibility to such Senior Joint Commissioner or Joint Commissioner, as the Commissioner may, by an order in writing, authorise in this behalf :

Provided that an application made after the period of time specified in this sub-rule may be entertained by the authority to whom the application is made if the dealer shows to the satisfaction of the said authority that he had reasonable cause for delay in presenting the application.

(2) The application referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be duly filled in, signed and verified by the dealer.

(3) Where the Senior Joint Commissioner or the Joint Commissioner, as the case may be, is satisfied that the dealer has furnished correctly all the information in his application and that he has complied with all the requirements of section 39 and the rules made thereunder, he shall grant a certificate of eligibility in Form 18 to the dealer for a period of five years or seven years as applicable to him under rule 99 from the date of first sale of the goods manufactured in his newly set up small-scale industrial unit.

(4) Where the Senior Joint Commissioner or the Joint Commissioner, as the case may be, does not grant a certificate of eligibility to a dealer under sub-rule (3), he shall, after giving such dealer a reasonable opportunity of being heard, reject his application for reasons to be recorded in writing.